Due to my own lack of organisation I do not have any drafts done at this exact moment. From this point onwards i have to put 200% work rate into this project or i will fall further behind and fail the project miserably. My front cover picture is one of my horrorcore hip-hop artist Krazy Karl. He wears a grey hood stained with the "blood" of his victims and wears a scream mask also covered in "blood". In the picture he will be facing the camera. The scream mask has cut outs around the eyes but the rest of his face is concealed. This has the same effect as the shades but to a creepier effect. Also in the picture he is holding a small childs head by his hair with "blood" covered around the neck and face. In the artists other hand there is a large knife with "blood" stains. By doing this the picture gives an illusion of a decapitated head.
The front cover itself will have the title Crunk but the font used for the title will have a blood dripping effect. The background for the cover will be dark with little or no lighting. The coverlines around the picture will be in red or grey so there is not too much conflict happening with the background colour. The coverlines will include "Has Horrorcore been lurking in the dark?", "The Story Of Krazy Karl", "Drakes backlash", "Scream for the Sales", "Top 10 Hip-Hop artists of 2011" and "Eminem's Envy?"
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Friday 6 January 2012
Model Analysis
Eminem
Above is an image of the white rap artist Eminem. From the image we can see that he is wearing a grey hoodie which has its hood raised. The colour grey is used to show Eminem as a hardcore hip-hop artist as this sub genre of music contains little or no happiness in its content. The grey is used to show this lack of happiness and this also gives an impression of him as an aggressive, self assertive individual whose music shows angry and aggressive sounds along with confrontational lyricism which shows him as an isolated individual. The hood is also raised to better reiterate this barrier that he uses to isolate himself. It is from this picture that i am considering using grey clothing so that my model gives the impression of a hard-hearted aggressive rapper. I am also considering raising the hood so as strengthen the isolation of my model which will mean that the readers of my magazine will be more appreciative of the interview . Busta Rhymes
I have also got an image of hop-hop artist Busta Rhymes. In the image he has tattoos on his arms. These tattoos are used to make him look aggressive and assertive to instill a fear which is used to drive his reputation. He also has his arms crossed which gives the impression of arrogance and instills a sense of his displeasure. Also in this image Busta Rhymes like Eminem is wearing a plain coloured and bland t-shirt. It shows no formality which links well with the hip-hop genre as it is a genre of music originally derived from the streets of America. The plain colours also show no emotions which could damage the stone cold hearted reputation he has obtained. Along with the image of Eminem this image has made my opinion of using bland colours stronger because it means that my model creates a persona of somebody who refuses to show emotions.
Kanye West
I have also got an image of Kanye West. Kanye West is different from the previous artists. Unlike the other two artists who fit into the sub genre of hardcore hip hop. Kanye West fits better into the sub genre of polictical hip hop. The more formal clothing worn by Kanye West indicates that he is more intellectual then the stereotypical rap artist. The broken heart on his jacket indicates that he is an artist strongly influenced by his own feelings and beliefs. It also links with the saying "wearing your heart on your sleeve" which means by portraying your feelings and emotions you will not get lost in a fake persona. This shows Kanye West as a true character and does not follow the crowd and so represents political hip hop well. He is also wearing a white shirt and a white tie. These colours along with the formality of his clothing give the impression that he has the opinion of himself as a God like figure in hip hop. This could be portrayed as arrogance or that he believes that through his music he can put forward his own political beliefs. The main part of the image that i am looking to take from this image though is the tinted sunglasses. The sunglasses allow the artist to look at the camera and give the reader an uneasiness while at the same time being able to give a sense of mystery about the artist.
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Hip-Hop Magazine Front Covers
The masthead XXL denotes the largest size of male clothing. This could connote that the magazine is aimed at a niche market of male consumers, this is because the genre of rap/hip-hop music is more attractive to males due to its obscenities and innuendos through the lyrics.
The masthead for XXL is bold yet simplistic. This would attract reader attention because it is the largest font on the cover. This immediately grabs the attention of readers. The logo is also in red which could be used to connote aggression and anger. Red is a house colour of rap and hip-hop because aggression and high levels of angry emotions are a large part in the lyrics commonly used in the rap and hip-hop industry.
There is a strapline on the front cover which says "N#GGAZ WITH ATTITUDE" this strengthens the view that this is a magazine aimed at a male target audience. It also indicates that this magazine is not aimed at those which are faint hearted. The strapline links well with the genre of music because rap and hip-hop is stereotypically acclaimed as aggressive. The strapline also engages with its target audience through the use of taboo language. It engages the reader because rap was/still is a genre of music which is dominantly black and so the use of this word is not racist.
The image used for the XXL cover shows the rap artist Nas with a facial expression which seems unimpressed. This makes him seem an arrogant character which links well with the attitude associated with the rap and hip-hop industry. The curling of the lip empathises his hard-hearted as it gives the impression of him tutting. The twisting of his nose indicates that he is sneering at somebody or something which can give the idea that he is looking at something with disgust. His head is also tilted to the left slightly which also gives the impression that he is pitying somebody.
Also in the image Nas is showing eye contact with the reader. This shows confidence in the artist and that he is not fearful of anything. He is also leering at the camera which gives the reader an uneasiness. This uneasiness is caused by the powerful presence of the artist which links well with the idea of reputation.
We do not see much of Nas' body language because the shot used for the front cover is a medium close up. What we do see in the image though is straight shoulders. The straight shoulders also show confidence from the artist. Along with this idea of confidence it can also give the interpretation that he is shrugging off something uninspiring.
On the front cover the coverlines are written in a a dull silver/gray colour. This gives an indication of grime which is one of the sub-genres of rap. The gray is bland which shows a lack of emotions which shows a cold-hearted nature. This could be because rap artists are not allowed to show any emotion which could be seen as weakness and so if a colour represented as non masculine is shown it could damage their reputation.
Thursday 8 December 2011
Initial Magazine Name Ideas
- Frequency
- Rewind
- Boombox
- Crunk
- Back to beatsix
- Fader
- Flux
- The Source
- XLR8R (Accelerator)
Friday 2 December 2011
NME Inside
How many pages are there?
There are a total of 67 pages in the whole NME magazine. These pages consist of a number of double page spreads. Including one on Florence and the Machine, a double page spread showing an interview with Wu Lyf and also another double page spread consisting of a gig guide giving dates for gigs which may be important for some. These double page spreads would interest readers because the niche market for NME is people who are fans of alternate rock music. The feature with Florence is also promoted on the front cover so this indicates that NME consider this the most important article in the magazine. This is because Florence and the Machine is a well known artist.
How many pages of adverts?
Within the NME magazine there are a total of 17 advertorials. These advertorials are aimed more at a male orientated target audience. The products being advertised include DG clothing being worn by Calum Mcnab, a Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray phone, Puma Social Suede Trainers, Wild Flag, Oranjeboom Lager, Lynx Deodorant, Jack Daniels Whiskey and Toni & Guy male styling products. These products reflect that the NME magazine is targeted at a male niche market. Alcohol is a product mainly consumed by a male audience. This strengthens that the magazine is aimed at a male target audience.
The advertorials in the NME magazine can be categorised into groups, these groups include:
There are a total of 67 pages in the whole NME magazine. These pages consist of a number of double page spreads. Including one on Florence and the Machine, a double page spread showing an interview with Wu Lyf and also another double page spread consisting of a gig guide giving dates for gigs which may be important for some. These double page spreads would interest readers because the niche market for NME is people who are fans of alternate rock music. The feature with Florence is also promoted on the front cover so this indicates that NME consider this the most important article in the magazine. This is because Florence and the Machine is a well known artist.
How many pages of adverts?
Within the NME magazine there are a total of 17 advertorials. These advertorials are aimed more at a male orientated target audience. The products being advertised include DG clothing being worn by Calum Mcnab, a Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray phone, Puma Social Suede Trainers, Wild Flag, Oranjeboom Lager, Lynx Deodorant, Jack Daniels Whiskey and Toni & Guy male styling products. These products reflect that the NME magazine is targeted at a male niche market. Alcohol is a product mainly consumed by a male audience. This strengthens that the magazine is aimed at a male target audience.
The advertorials in the NME magazine can be categorised into groups, these groups include:
- Clothing
- Mobile Phones
- Music Albums
- Alcohol
- Cleaning and Styling Products
- NME Products
- Modern Culture
- Future Gigs
- Radar - New bands and new music shows
- Introduction to the interview with Florence Welch
- Interview with Florence Welch
- Interview with Wu Lyf
- Interview with Orlando Higginbotham from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
- NME's best song from the past 15 years
- Poster of Ian Curtis from Joy Division
- Information about a gig by the band Foals
- On the road interview with Slow Club
- Gig guide - 2 double page spreads
- Fan mail
Friday 4 November 2011
NME The Cover Questions
The Title: why is it called that? What does it connote?
The title of the music magazine is an abbreviation; NME stands for New Musical Express. The company have abbreviated the name because New Musical Express would sound too formal for their target audience. NME is also a good magazine name because it is recognised easier because it has transformed from a simple magazine name to a brand.
What does the masthead show?
The masthead of NME differs according to the magazines contents. The masthead in this particular magazine is large yet simplistic, with no fancy effects to make it stand out. This simple masthead gives the magazine a more relaxing feel which is good as the interview inside is Florence opening up to readers and giving an insight into her life and personality in a relaxed and personal manner.
Is there a strapline?
The magazine does not contain any strapline. I believe that the magazine does not need a strapline because these are used to try and grab the attention of a reader and to make them remember the magazine better. The magazine NME however does not need a strapline as the title has become a brand identity and therefore creating a strapline could complicate the magazine. The NME brand has extended beyond simple music magazine into music television programs. This is known as brand expansion.
What is the main image?
The main image of the NME magazine is a medium shot of Florence Welch (the lead singer of Florence And The Machine). The image of Florence shows her with a vague expression on her face however this is not because she is confused but because she is preparing to talk into detail about her personal life. The camera angle used in the magazine shows us her face and allows her to show eye contact to the camera. On the magazine this shows her looking towards the reader and so makes the magazine feel more personal to the individual reader.
The posture of Florence on the front cover shows her as a confident and relaxed person. This is also good as it will allow the reader to believe and have faith in what is said during the interview. The crossing of her arm across her chest however shows that even though she is confident of what she is saying it is personal to her and shows her as a fragile character
The clothing that is worn by Florence is not typical of what you would expect from a rock artist. These colours are good for several reasons. The first of these reasons is that the colour of the clothing contrasts with the background so shows that she is the main figure on the cover. Her colour of the clothing is also good as its shows her as a typical female character and so it conjoins her with the lifestyle of an everyday woman and so identifying with the everyday people successfully.
What other images appear on the cover?
There is only one other image on the front cover of the magazine and this image is of Ian Curtis in a polaroid frame.The polaroid frame is used to show the photo as an example of the posters that are inside the magazine. The photo is being aimed at the niche market of Iconic Joys fans. The image intices these readers because the image of the main member would influence their decision on whether to buy the magazine.
What content is promoted by the cover lines?
The cover lines on the NME magazine promote content that includes a tribute to Steve Jobs, a list of the top 20 best tracks of the past 15 years and an album verdict on Noel Gallagher's new album. The Steve Jobs tribute intices potential customers because it was the largest news story of the year and many people idolised him so they would buy the magazine to see how his life was portrayed. The greatest track cover line attracts readers because all music fans will be interested to hear somebodies personal opinion on a musical matter so that they can be judgemental, it is also the type of article that would evoke a response from readers. The Noel Gallagher album verdict would interest readers because it is a feature which gives readers information and personal opinions and allows them to then make a final decision.
Connotations of typefaces
The typeface used to promote the headline is bold so as to better promote the interview with Florence. The colour that is used for this particular typeface is good because it is similar to the hair colour of Florence which allows you to see even clearer that the image and headline are directly linked. The colour of the typefaces for the other features is good as it is simple and does not contrast with the background colour. With some of the typefaces being black to highlight the important parts of the coverlines allows the readers attention to instantly be attracted to this. To allow the magazine to relate to its niche market effectively NME decided to keep all of it typefaces simple and so all the typefaces are sans-serif.
The style of language
The front of the NME magazine uses no colloquial langauge but one of the coverlines includes a less formal tone. By saying "AND,ER,QUITE A LOT MORE..." shows that the magazine is written from a normal everyday person and is written to the everyday person. All of the typefaces on the cover are in bold so as to allow for even the most simplistic of readers to be able to understand the content of the magazine.
The title of the music magazine is an abbreviation; NME stands for New Musical Express. The company have abbreviated the name because New Musical Express would sound too formal for their target audience. NME is also a good magazine name because it is recognised easier because it has transformed from a simple magazine name to a brand.
What does the masthead show?
The masthead of NME differs according to the magazines contents. The masthead in this particular magazine is large yet simplistic, with no fancy effects to make it stand out. This simple masthead gives the magazine a more relaxing feel which is good as the interview inside is Florence opening up to readers and giving an insight into her life and personality in a relaxed and personal manner.Is there a strapline?
The magazine does not contain any strapline. I believe that the magazine does not need a strapline because these are used to try and grab the attention of a reader and to make them remember the magazine better. The magazine NME however does not need a strapline as the title has become a brand identity and therefore creating a strapline could complicate the magazine. The NME brand has extended beyond simple music magazine into music television programs. This is known as brand expansion.
What is the main image?
The main image of the NME magazine is a medium shot of Florence Welch (the lead singer of Florence And The Machine). The image of Florence shows her with a vague expression on her face however this is not because she is confused but because she is preparing to talk into detail about her personal life. The camera angle used in the magazine shows us her face and allows her to show eye contact to the camera. On the magazine this shows her looking towards the reader and so makes the magazine feel more personal to the individual reader.
The posture of Florence on the front cover shows her as a confident and relaxed person. This is also good as it will allow the reader to believe and have faith in what is said during the interview. The crossing of her arm across her chest however shows that even though she is confident of what she is saying it is personal to her and shows her as a fragile characterThe clothing that is worn by Florence is not typical of what you would expect from a rock artist. These colours are good for several reasons. The first of these reasons is that the colour of the clothing contrasts with the background so shows that she is the main figure on the cover. Her colour of the clothing is also good as its shows her as a typical female character and so it conjoins her with the lifestyle of an everyday woman and so identifying with the everyday people successfully.
What other images appear on the cover?
What content is promoted by the cover lines?
The cover lines on the NME magazine promote content that includes a tribute to Steve Jobs, a list of the top 20 best tracks of the past 15 years and an album verdict on Noel Gallagher's new album. The Steve Jobs tribute intices potential customers because it was the largest news story of the year and many people idolised him so they would buy the magazine to see how his life was portrayed. The greatest track cover line attracts readers because all music fans will be interested to hear somebodies personal opinion on a musical matter so that they can be judgemental, it is also the type of article that would evoke a response from readers. The Noel Gallagher album verdict would interest readers because it is a feature which gives readers information and personal opinions and allows them to then make a final decision.
Connotations of typefaces
The typeface used to promote the headline is bold so as to better promote the interview with Florence. The colour that is used for this particular typeface is good because it is similar to the hair colour of Florence which allows you to see even clearer that the image and headline are directly linked. The colour of the typefaces for the other features is good as it is simple and does not contrast with the background colour. With some of the typefaces being black to highlight the important parts of the coverlines allows the readers attention to instantly be attracted to this. To allow the magazine to relate to its niche market effectively NME decided to keep all of it typefaces simple and so all the typefaces are sans-serif.
The style of language
The front of the NME magazine uses no colloquial langauge but one of the coverlines includes a less formal tone. By saying "AND,ER,QUITE A LOT MORE..." shows that the magazine is written from a normal everyday person and is written to the everyday person. All of the typefaces on the cover are in bold so as to allow for even the most simplistic of readers to be able to understand the content of the magazine.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
NME General Questions
Which company produces the magazine NME?
IPC Inspire/IPC Media
What is the target audience of according to their website?
NME is a niche product aimed at young adults; this can be shown by the advertorial for the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray. We can also depict that it is a magazine designed mainly for male consumers due to the graphics used in the advertisements. The JD advert shows male clothing, we can also suspect that it is aimed at a male audience due to the explicit imaging of Rihanna. We can also be shown this is a magazine designed for the male individual due to the mode of address in the standfirst of the article on Noel Gallagher.
How much does it cost?
£2.40
How often is it published?
Weekly
What is it's circulation?
The circulation of the NME magazine is 56,284 a week and the monthly circulation revenue stream of this is approximately £540,326.40. The monthly advertisement revenue stream is approximately £67,071. The two monthly revenue streams added together result in an overall monthly revenue stream of £607,397.40.
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